The Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré missed out on a fifth successive African Player of the Year award as his reign was ended by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Ivory Coast international Touré was edged out by the Gabon and Borussia Dortmund striker Aubameyang, who polled 143 voting points to Toure’s 136 among national coaches.
Aubameyang scored 41 goals and claimed 11 assists for his club and country during 2015, including 18 strikes in 17 Bundesliga games this season.
The 26-year-old winner wrote on Instagram: “Thanks to my Father and Mother thanks to my son and his Mom thanks to my family to my friends to my teammates @bvb09 and from Gabon national team thanks to my fans and thanks God and everybody.”
Aubameyang accepts the award from the Fifa acting president Issa Hayatou in Nigeria. Photograph: Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters
Touré, who won the African Nations Cup with his country last February, was sorry to miss out on extending his streak at the ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria, on Thursday night.
He said: “I’m quite disappointed, but I don’t want to complain too much. I just want to give credit to Aubameyang – you’ve been doing brilliantly well this year.”
The Swansea and Ghana forward André Ayew finished third in the poll with 112 points.
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